


Ember

by ZZ_Chikorita



Series: Jolly Rogers [37]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions, Pocket Monsters: Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon | Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Versions
Genre: Boys Kissing, Childhood, Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, Flashbacks, Fluff, Friendship, Frottage, Gen, Hanging Out, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kukui's dad is back for a bit, M/M, Making Out, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Pokemon Battles, god they're all so stupid and I love them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:21:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26407156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZZ_Chikorita/pseuds/ZZ_Chikorita
Summary: How the hell did I go this long without writing a battle sequence?
Relationships: Guzma/Kukui-hakase | Professor Kukui
Series: Jolly Rogers [37]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1680463
Comments: 12
Kudos: 24





	Ember

**Author's Note:**

> Ch. 37

Guzma and Kukui retired to the bedroom to hang out on the latter's bed for a bit. Wimpod and Rockruff curled up together for a nap in a small pokémon bed in the corner of the room. Meanwhile, Guzma sat with his back against the wall and Kukui between his lanky legs. He braided the shorter boy's hair just the way his mom's been teaching him... or he's trying to at least.

He looked down at the braid he's working on and frowns. 

The stitches were messy and uneven; some were too loose, a few had loose strands he had missed hanging out of them, and, on one, it was obvious that he crossed the wrong section over.

Guzma sighed and reluctantly begins undoing the braid.

Kukui paused the soft tune he was humming to ask, "Mess up again?"

"Yeah..." 

His mom said he'll get better the more he practices, but that doesn't make it any less disappointing when he screws up. He's lucky that Kukui's always overeager to lend his hand (or, in this case, his hair) to help him out with anything and everything.  
Also, Guzma loves the excuse to play with his friend's long, curly, _gorgeous_ hair.  
Not that he needs an excuse...

"It don't gotta be perfect," Kukui said over his shoulder, "I'll still wear 'em."

"You're too pretty t'have anythin' less than perfect."

The boy giggled and elbowed him lightly.  
"Shut up... why ya keep sayin' stuff like that?"

"'Cuz it's true."  
He finished undoing the braid and ran his fingers through the long strands to untangle them, watching indulgently as the coal black locks easily passed through his pale fingers like the soft volcanic sands found near Wela's base.

He moved the hair aside and gently pressed his lips to the warm, russet skin of his nape before sitting back and trying to braid again. 

The dark eyed boy had sighed softly at the feeling and fidgeted bashfully. It made Guzma's heart flutter.

"Sorry I lied to you..." the boy mumbled suddenly.

"I already told ya we's cool. I wasn't honest witchu neither... I totally get it."  
Another beat of silence went by and he added, "Not sure why ya lied 'bout the Trial Captain bein' super chill though."

"Huh?"

"Remember? You said he was real laid-back and nice? And, like, he _is_ nice, but that kid's wound tighter than a spoink!"

"Whaddya mean?"

Guzma tilted his head back and forth as he thought about it. It's a small, harmless habit of his that never fails to warm Kukui's heart.  
"Well," he began, "he's, like, super fidgety and always seems hella nervous."

"That don't sound like Kalani at all. Are you sure you're thinkin' of the right trial?"

"Yeah, I was literally just talkin' to him!" he bolstered. As he continued braiding, he rambled on, "He also stammers a lot and won't look me in the eye for more than a few seconds before gettin' all embarrassed. I feel kinda bad 'cuz I ain't tryin' t'make him nervous but it almost seems like the nicer I am the worse he gets and- why are you giggling?"

Kukui turned back and raised his eyebrow while continuing to snicker.  
"You're so dense."

"Dense?" he echoed, the lilt in his tone conveying genuine confusion.

The boy rubbed his brow. He turned himself slightly more so he could look at Guzma straight on.  
"He _likes_ you, dummy."

"Of course he likes me! Everyone likes me! I'm awesome-"

"No, that's not what..."-Kukui sighed and rubbed his eyes before dramatically dragging his hands down his face- "He has a _crush_ on you, ya dork!"

"H-he... what?"

Kukui could almost see the sparks sputter and fly from Guzma's head as the gears in his brain came to a grinding halt.

The white haired boy laughed nervously as blood pooled in his pale cheeks.  
"Th-that's not... he's not... I mean, he doesn't..." he babbled intelligently before blurting out, "W-why would anyone like me like _that_?"

Kukui looked at him with bright, smiling eyes that sent a steady current of electricity flowing through his chest. Then the dark eyed boy winked and cheekily reminded him, " _I_ like you like that."

Guzma responded by burying his face in his friend's thick hair and whining softly.

Kukui decided he better change the subject before his friend shuts down in embarrassment again, so he said, "By the way, sorry again about my dad."

"You don't gotta apologise," the white haired boy mumbled, his breath hot against the back of Kukui's neck, "I just don't think I'll ever get use to how chill he is about... stuff."

"And by 'stuff' do ya mean 'once again walking in on you sucking m'face off in the middle of the living room floor'?"

"Ok. First of all," he contended, pulling back from the boy's hair and (much to Kukui's relief) sounding far more like his usual self, "it sounds gross when ya say it like that! Secondly, we weren't actually doing nothin' when he walked in. Thirdly, last time, we was on the couch, not the floor."

He finally finished the braid he was on and leaned forward to say the next part directly into Kukui's ear:  
"Not to mention that last time... it was _you_ doin' all the sucking. I just laid back and enjoyed m'self."

The dark haired boy made a delightful ' _eep_ ' sound in surprise and elbowed him again.  
"Brah! When ya say it like _that_ it just sounds dirty!"

Guzma chuckled darkly and growled, "But you like it when I talk like dat, don'tcha maka nani?"

Kukui turned all the way around, grabbing Guzma's face and kissing him hard, causing the back of his head to hit the wall with an audible _thump_. Then he tilted his head forward, breaking the kiss to touch their foreheads together and stare into the other's eyes. 

He growled back, "Maybe I do."

However, his teasing smirk quickly crumbled when he saw the ridiculously goofy smile plastered across Guzma's face. 

The white haired boy's roguish gaze flicked downward and back up. He chuckled, "I got you 'excited', didn't I?"

Kukui puffed up his cheeks and looked away as he realized that he was, in fact, pressed flush between Guzma's legs.

"Shaddup..." he grumbled, "Ya don't gotta point it out."

Guzma leaned up and started kissing along the length of his friend's jaw as he cooed, "But ya get so adorable and shy when I point it out!"

"Need I remind you that, just a couple months ago, ya thought it meant you were dying or some shit?" 

Guzma hummed in thought while continuing to pepper Kukui's face in gentle kisses.  
"Naaaaah. Don't sound like me. I think you made that up."

"Don't play dumb!"

"I dunno man," he argued facetiously as he trailed down toward Kukui's neck, "D.J. said I don't got the best memory these days with all my head injuries..."

"I should just kick yo punk-ass outta here," he threatened playfully, "I wouldn't have to listen to your teasing _and_ I'd be able to take care of my little 'problem'."

The white haired boy chuckled against the other's warm skin and said, "Whatchu talkin' 'bout Willis?"

Kukui snorted and murmured, "You know what I'm talkin' 'bout..."

"Do I?"

Kukui pressed his lips together and scrunched up his eyebrows. Something about Guzma's tone was... odd.

"Quit playin' G."

"Who's playin'? Not my fault you's speakin' in tongues."

"Knock it off," he said again, sounding a little annoyed, "you know what I mean."

"Bro, I really don't."

The dark haired boy gently pushed him off, causing a pouty noise to escape Guzma's throat.

He looked at him dead in the eye, said, "Ya know..." and proceeded to make a strange hand motion that Guzma doesn't recognize. 

Well... maybe he's seen it on TV once or twice... but he hasn't a clue what it means.

He shrugged in charmingly blissful ignorance.

Kukui buried his face in Guzma's chest as he laughed uncontrollably.

"You're _ADORABLE_!" he howled.

The taller boy was now thoroughly confused and looking a tad bit perturbed.

Kukui leaned back and inhaled deeply to catch his breath. He looked at Guzma with a slight tilt of the head and crooked his finger to beckon him to lean down so he could whisper in his ear. 

The boy's silver eyes grew wide as his friend explained to him _exactly_ what he was talking about.

In lieu of a response, Guzma simply mouthed the words ' _holy shit_ ' while Kukui giggled into his hands.

Eventually, Kukui wrapped his arms around the flushed boy's neck and hugged him tight as he mumbled a quiet admission that he didn't know that that was a thing you could do and doesn't quite understand why you'd want to do it in the first place.

Kukui, the never ending fountain of far too much information that he is, began to expound, "My dad said people do it- and keep doing it, sometimes habitually- mainly because it causes the release of a hormone called oxytocin that also acts as a neurotransmitter- it's produced in the hypothalamus and secreted by the pituitary gland- during climax and then the release of dopamine- a different kind of hormone/neurotransmitter- by the nucleus accumbens during the following refractory period as a result of the 'reward circuit' via the mesolimbic pathway and-"

Guzma clamped his hand over the boy's mouth and said tiredly, "You know I love listenin' t'ya spout random jargon but why ya gotta explain shit in the most unhelpful ways possible?"

Kukui just grinned behind his hand and suggested (albeit muffled), "Blame my dad?"

"Fair 'nough."  
He retracted his hand and smirked at his friend.  
"Your old man might be a lil weird but I'd give anything for my own dad t'have a _fraction_ of his chill."

Kukui's expression became more stoic and he shifted uncomfortably in Guzma's lap.  
His eyes drifted off to the side as he muttered, "He's only chill 'cuz I've been gettin' straight A's... you don't know what he's _really_ like..."

 _At least he doesn't beat you,_ thought Guzma bitterly. 

The dark eyed boy leaned forward so they're alo to alo once more and let out an exhausted sigh.  
"What're we doin'?" he asked softly.  
He then chuckled wearily and said, "We're makin' ourselves all bummed out when we _could_ be sucking each other's faces off."

"Wouldja quit callin' it tha-"  
He was abruptly cut off as Kukui shoved him down onto the bed and forced his tongue into his mouth.

He ain't complaining though. 

Guzma wrapped his arms around the boy's illegally tiny waist as they swallowed up each other's giddy laughs and needy whimpers.  
Kukui even managed to coax a low groan out of his friend by catching his tongue lightly between his teeth and sucking firmly; it also caught Guzma off guard such that he couldn't help arching his back, momentarily lifting the smaller boy off the bed. He first yelped in surprise but then snickered into the other's mouth once he was set back down; he unwittingly started rocking his hips back and forth in subtle protest to the sudden loss of pressure between them.  
If it were not for that unfairly dexterous muscle perusing the confines of Guzma's jaws and the hands wandering about his clothed chest to distract him, the pale boy would be as red as a cheri berry by now.

Then the door opened.  
Because of course.

"If y'all are done defiling each other, pizza's here."

" _TAPU- **FREAKING** -KOKO DAD!!!_"

"Hey! Don't use the Tapu's name in vain!"

" _ **GET OUT!**_ "

The man boomed a hearty laugh as he finally conceded and shut the door.

Kukui huffed angrily and balled his fists in Guzma's shirt in frustration. He turned back so he could, once again, apologise for his father's intrusion but paused when he was met with that same goofy smile from before.

Guzma chuckled silently beneath him and said, " _That_ was hot."

"Shut up!" he laughed just before pouncing and rolling them both onto the floor.

The dorks wrestled as they howled and hollered in jest and taunted each other in innocent comradery, just as they always have since they were knee high little ankle biters.  
They're fairly evenly matched despite their differences, Guzma having the obvious advantage of size and strength while Kukui surpasses him unquestionably in speed and agility.  
After several minutes with neither being closer to winning or giving up, the professor had to come in and throw himself into the fray to forcibly separate them; he then dragged them to the kitchen with one under each arm in firm yet loving headlocks. Rockruff ran excited circles around them while Wimpod rode on his back.

The boys couldn't help but continue to laugh throughout it all. 

Especially considering that, out of all the times thus far, _this_ was the time Kukui's dad finally decided to knock. 

~~~

"You ready for this, buddy?"

Wimpod chirped eagerly from where he rode in Guzma's arms as they walked up route six.

He's feeling pretty confident about this time. He talked to both Kukui and Molayne about their experiences with the trial and, although their reasons _why_ they had trouble were vastly different, they both ended up coming to nearly the same solution. 

He hung a right and walked through the trial barriers.

Kalani was sitting among the blooms with his backpack at his side and a book in his lap as he scribbled down something into an open notebook. The boy's tight curls swayed in tandem with the flowers surrounding him as a warm, gentle breeze picked up. His Brionne, Archie, sat behind him with his chin on his shoulder, watching curiously as the boy worked. 

Guzma smiled softly. It was a rather endearing sight after all. 

Wimpod retreated into the front of his hoodie as he padded softly up behind the boy and squatted down beside him. Archie glanced his way briefly but didn't do anything to acknowledge him further. Kalani himself was entirely absorbed in his school work, his bright blue eyes moving back and forth as he read the contents of the thick textbook on his lap.  
Guzma looked down at where 'Lani scratched away in the notebook. It looked like he was writing about the Galarian Empire and the effects of colonization on various regions.

"History homework?" he finally said.

"FREAKIN' LELE!" the boy startled, inadvertantly throwing his pencil and dropping everything out of his lap. 

He glared at Guzma as the taller boy fell onto his back in laughter.

"Arceus Guzma!" he hollered, still clutching a hand to his pounding heart, "How long ya been sittin' there!?"

"A while."

He turned to Archie and raised his eyebrow.  
"Did you know he was here?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

The pokémon shrugged noncommittally. 

Guzma sat back up as Kalani began to put his things away. 

"Didn't expect t'lead no trials today. 'Specially for you. Ya sure you're ready?"

'Lani had every right to be skeptical considering it's only been a few days since his last attempt.

The white haired boy grinned and asserted, "I know what to do now. I can't believe I didn't think of it before!" He tilted his chin down and clicked his tongue softly to coax Wimpod out. The bug poked his head out and gave the Trial Captain a wary look.  
"It's alright Wimpi," he murmured gently, "Kalani's a friend. You don't gotta be scared."

Wimpod wiggled his first two forelegs free and hooked them together in one direction and then the other.1 He looked up expectantly at his trainer. 

"That's right," Guzma assured him.

Wimpod cautiously climbed out and onto his trainer's shoulder. The boy then reached into the pouch of his hoodie and pulled out three pokéballs.

He turned to Kalani and said, "I was a big ol' lolo to think I had to suffer through this all by myself."  
He tossed the balls into the air, releasing a charjabug, a spinarak, and (unexpectedly) a murkrow.

The Trial Captain looked absolutely thrilled.

"I knew you'd figure it out," he praised with a wide (but still closed mouth) smile, "Very few people pass my trial without the support of their partners. I wish I could've just told ya that from the get go but... ya know... rules and such."

"Don't sweat it."

The murkrow let out a loud caw and flitted over, landing on top of Kalani's head.

He chuckled and teased, "A Flying type? Really?"

Guzma smiled wistfully and whistled to the bird. His pokémon happily returned to perch on his shoulder. He reached up and scratched him under his chin.

"Little guy must've gotten carried to Melemele in the last storm. Found some stupid high school kids teasin' and throwin' shit at him over in Hau'oli one day."

Kalani's expression softened.

"Yeah he ain't a Bug type but... I got a soft spot for 'im. I guess it's 'cuz people think murkrow are bad luck..."  
The bird nuzzled his face and cooed softly as Guzma dropped his gaze, the wind rippling lightly through his snow white curls.  
"People think I'm bad luck too..."

"Well," the Trial Captain said gently, "I think you both must've been awfully lucky t'find each other, eh?

Guzma looked back up and smiled softly.  
"Thanks man."

He walked out to the middle of the field and sat down with his legs crossed. Wimpod climbed up onto his head, Charjabug squirmed up into his lap, and Spinarak crawled up to sit on his unoccupied shoulder.

"Ready when you are _fairy boy_ ," Guzma announced.

Kalani spun on his heel (mainly to hide the stupidly daffy look on his face at being given a silly nickname) and put two fingers under his tongue. He whistled loudly for his Sylveon.

 _I should ask him how he does that_ , Guzma thought to himself.

On the far side of the field they saw two ears pop up from the flowers. Vin came bounding toward them. As he drew near, he tripped over his own feet and came to a tumbling halt in front of his trainer. He looked up at the boy expectantly, his tongue lolling out as he panted excitedly.

"Trial time Vin." 

The pokémon straightened up and glanced over at Guzma. He turned back to 'Lani with worry behind his eyes.

"He'll be alright this time," he murmured, crouching down to reassure his friend with a pat to the head, "I can feel it."

Vin nodded in understanding and went to sit behind Guzma. 

Meanwhile, the white haired boy closed his eyes and was silently hyping himself up. 

_It's showtime! I can do this! Nothin' bad's gonna happen. It's just Vin. He's not gonna hurt you. Do the breathing like Hala taught ya... in for five, hold for five, out for five, hold for five, so on and so forth..._

He stiffened slightly as Vin began wrapping his ribbons around his arms but he stayed relatively calm.

Not surprisingly, he took great comfort in his team surrounding him. The faint static from Charjabug's body made the hair on his arms stand on end in a pleasantly warm, fuzzy feeling. The added weight of his other partners on his shoulders helped to ground him and Wimpod stroked his hair soothingly. 

Guzma smiled to himself as he realized Wimpi must've learned that from watching Kukui.

He breathed calmly and tried to think of things that make him happy:  
His mom's smile... Molayne's laugh...  
Kukui's... everything.

The boy giggled to himself.

He loves the way Wimpod still sleeps snuggled up with that old, tattered shirt of his.  
He loves watching the sun slowly rise over the ocean.  
He loves when his mom cooks and makes the whole house smell like food.  
He loves the pitter patter of rain on his window paired with the taste of hot cocoa.  
He loves the way the berry man's eyes light up whenever he tells him stories about him and Kapuna.

Guzma's not sure how much time had passed but he eventually heard powerful wing beats approaching. The ground shook as something landed in front of him.  
He didn't open his eyes yet since Kalani told him not to make any sudden movements until Vin completely releases him.

The Totem circled him, inspecting the newcomer to the meadow with great scrutiny. 

As the Totem returned to the front of the boy, Vin's ribbons began to relax and retract. 

Guzma opened his eyes.

Kalani nervously bit his knuckle from where he observed off to the side. For the trial goers that make it this far, this is usually where they fail as they often burst into laughter upon realizing that the Totem is a-

"Ribombee," Guzma breathed in awe, an enormous grin stretching across his face.

The Trial Captain sighed in relief.  
He should've guessed that, out of everyone he knows, Guzma would be the last one to ridicule his Totem.

The white haired boy could not believe how awesome this was. The ribombee before him was enormous! It had to be at least six feet tall with an even larger wingspan! But of course it's huge, it's the Totem pokémon after all. He felt an anticipation like electricity running through his bones as he realized that it was this pokémon (a Bug type no less) that caused all that _impressive_ destruction to those machines Kalani had showed him. 

Who says Fairy and Bug's not very effective against Steel?

"You're amazing," he whispered as he got to his feet.

The Totem turned his head to look Guzma over with his good eye. His other eye was clouded over, a long scar running vertically through it. The pokémon's age was blatantly apparent by how faded his aposematic coloring appeared. The scarf-like appendage at the cranial end of his thorax (an important part of the pollinator as it's used to collect and carry pollen via electrostatic charge, the boy recalls) was tattered and torn. There was an array of other scars scattering the Totem's body as well as what looked to be three bullet holes through the largest discoidal cell of his right wing. 

"It must be difficult to stay airborne with those, huh?" he asked thoughtfully, nodding his head toward the wing.

The bug lifted his chin smugly and took off high into the air. He made a show of redirecting himself quickly in flight several times and even doing a few midair backflips before swooping back down to hover several yards away from his challenger. 

Guzma grinned wily and chuckled.  
"Or maybe not."  
He straightened his back and squared up his shoulders, cracking his neck from side to side. He called out haughtily, "Message received Kapunakāne! Ya boy won't hold back!"  
He turned to Spinarak on his shoulder and said, "You're up lil man."

He jumped down and waited patiently for his orders.

The Totem began to take off but Guzma commanded, "String Shot! Keep 'im grounded!"

Silk shot from Spinarak's mouth parts, catching Ribombee by the hind leg and slamming him back down into the earth. 

"Poison Sting!"

The attack landed before the Totem could right himself, his leg still caught in the sticky silk. However, when Guzma called for Spinarak to hit him again, the target dodged and countered with a Stun Spore.

"Crap," Guzma muttered as he watched his pokémon try and fail to take a few steps forward.  
"Spinarak! Return!" He looked down at Charjabug by his feet. "Tag in C.J."

Portions of Ribombee's exoskeleton began to shimmer and slough off in what the boy immediately recognized as a Silver Wind.

"Counter with Mud-Slap!"

The battery pokémon kicked up mud into the Totem's face, engulfing some of the silver scales in the air while a good bit still made it past, striking the smaller bug. 

Guzma laughed boldly.  
"Big mistake Kapuna!" he jeered as Charjabug pulled a sitrus berry from where he had it hidden on his underbelly and chomped it down. The white haired boy grinned fiendishly with wild eyes and shouted, " _Acrobatics!_ "

His Charjabug moved blindingly fast and nailed the Totem square in the stomach. The force of the impact sent the pokémon flying backwards, ripping up the flowers in his wake as he skidded to a halt.  
He opened his wings wide and took off with one powerful movement.

Guzma grit his teeth as he realized his last move released the Totem from Spinarak's silk. 

He flew high and the boy put his sunglasses over his eyes to try to help him see past the blinding sun. 

Then the Totem let out a roar into the sky that shook Guzma to his very core. 

A pa'u style oricorio dive bombed Charjabug, landing just off to his side. It tried to hit him with an Air Slash but Guzma had the bug quickly take out the Psychic/Flying type with a couple well timed Sparks.

Rimbombee huffed and flew higher into the sky.

"Get down here and fight old man!" the boy called out. 

He squinted hard but the pokémon had flown so high he could barely see him. The boy had no idea what the Totem was planning until it was too late; a barrage of Pollen Puffs came raining down on his partner.

"C.J!"

He clenched his fists as his poor Charjabug fell to his side, unconscious.

"Return," he said quietly. He closed his eyes and pressed the pokéball to his forehead. "You did great, Brother. Forgive me..." he murmured. 

The Totem landed clumsily, shaking the ground like it had before.  
He looked tired and was breathing heavily, his antennae drooping in exhaustion. 

That Acrobatics definitely took a toll on him. It won't take much more now...

"Wimpod! Aqua Jet!"

Wimpod moved lightening fast and rammed into Ribombee with his body coated in a layer of water. 

Before the Totem could recover Guzma roared, "Metal Claw!"

Wimpod's legs glowed white with power and he pounced on the larger bug, raking his claws down the pokémon's body.

When Wimpi jumped off, the Totem wobbled a moment before falling onto his forelimbs. 

After a few failed attempts to get to his feet, he folded his wings in and bowed his head solemnly to the boy and his partner.

A clear surrender. 

"We did it," Guzma whispered breathlessly. He was shaking just a little bit as he came down from his adrenaline high. He grinned ear to ear and pumped his fist in the air.  
"WE DID IT!"

Wimpod scurried over and leapt into his trainer's arms. The boy hugged him and laughed, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. Murkrow hopped up and down happily from where he was still perched on the boy's shoulder.

Guzma clamped up when he saw the Totem in his periphery try to get to his feet before collapsing once more.  
He set his two pokémon down into the meadow and started walking cautiously up to the fallen Ribombee.

He growled and tried to back up as the boy approached. 

"Malie... malie, my brother. It's alright..."2

He slowly kneeled down and pulled a plastic container out of his cargo pocket. He carefully popped the lid off and held it out to the pokémon with his head bowed so as to not look the creature in the eye and spook him further.

"I learned t'make this from my Unko. It's only made from berries, but it works just as good as a hyper potion," he explained softly, "You can have it if ya want."

Ribombee turned his good eye to inspect the paste. He looked between it and the boy a few times and then extended his tongue like proboscis into the container to lap up its contents. Then he did something Kalani never thought he'd ever see him do:

He leaned over and pressed his forehead to Guzma's. 

Guzma himself was currently undergoing a swirling cocktail of pride, surprise, and absolute terror. 

It was fucking _awesome_!

But then his stomach growled LOUD, causing the Totem to pull back in surprise. 

The boy blushed. 

Stupid stomach ruining this once in a lifetime moment!  
It's not his fault he's barely eaten since the night he had dinner over at Kukui's...

The Totem tilted his head. He's looking a little better now, the medicine undoubtedly going into effect. He spun around, apparently collecting pollen from the nearby blooms considering he then held out an enormous pollen puff to the boy.

Guzma blinked noctowlishly a few times and tentatively accepted the offering. 

Ribombee pollen puffs are notoriously nutritious and his mouthed watered as its sweet scent wafted toward him on the warm breeze.

He took a bite. 

It tasted like the sweetest combee honey and had a light and airy texture not unlike cotton candy. 

Tears silently rolled down his face.

He swallowed his mouthful, looked up into the Totem's eyes and whispered, "Mahalo."

Ribombee looked at him knowingly, nodded once, and took off into the sky.

The boy's gaze remained fixed on the puff in his hands as the tears continued. He only snapped out of his trance when he felt Kalani sit down next to him and poke him with his sunglasses.

Guzma reflexively reached up to touch his face and the top of his head. He must have dropped them at some point during the fight.

He took them and put them on. 

"You ok?" 'Lani finally asked.

"Yeah I'm... I'm just... yeah..." Guzma wiped his sleeve across his cheeks as he fumbled for words. He took a deep breath, held it, and then exhaled.  
"I'll be ok."

The boy let out a relieved sigh. Now that he's made sure Guzma's alright, he can finally express his excitement.

"That was _sooooo_ freaking righteous!" he proclaimed, "All the trials I've overseen, I ain't _never_ seen anything like that!"

Wimpod scuttled up to his trainer with Murkrow sat on his back.

"You absolute mad man! You have a freakin' Flying type and ya didn't even use it!!!"

Guzma couldn't help but chuckle at that. He put on that adorably cocky smirk of his and said, "Now where'd be the fun in that?"

Kalani quickly looked away now that Guzma has turned his full attention to him.  
"W-well... ho’omaika’i ‘ana... and stuff. I knew ya could do it..."

"Thanks."  
The white haired boy took another bite out of the puff and pulled off a piece for 'Lani.  
"'Uh go'uh 'ry 'iss!"3

The boy popped it in his mouth and his face instantly lit up.  
"Arceus! That's good!"

Guzma swallowed and said, "I know, right!?"

It's super tasty but he doesn't need to keep eating since it's already filled his belly far fuller than it's been in days.  
He released Charjabug from his ball and gave the rest to him. The bug nuzzled his knee weakly in thanks. 

"What now mistuh Trial Captain," Guzma said after a moment, "I get my crystal or what?"

"Oh! R-right!" the younger boy stammered. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Farium Z. He nervously added, "Now's usually the time I say my spiel 'bout overcoming obstacles and not giving up but... I think you've got all that down pat."

Guzma nodded. He took the crystal and tucked it away into his back pocket.

"You... uhh... want me t'show ya how t'use it?"

"Nah," Guzma answered, waving his hand dismissively, "I don't even got a Z-Ring, so why bother?"

"Suit yourself."

They sat together for a while longer as they waited for Charjabug to regain his strength. Guzma noticed Kalani's lips upturn in a small smile as he watched the bug fondly.

"By the way"-Guzma fished around in one of his pockets and pulled something out in a closed fist-"this is for you. Sort of a thanks for putting up with my shit."  
He dropped the item into Kalani's hand and added, "Ya were real cool 'bout everything even though ya barely knew me... I... uhh... 'ppreciate it..."

The boy examined the object and asked in awe, "Is this a _real_ sharpedo tooth?"

"Yeah," Guzma said, rubbing the back of his neck, "I know ya can buy 'em at every tourist trap in the region but... I dunno... thought ya might like it... found it when I was walkin' 'long the beach a couple years back..."

Kalani's ocean blue eyes sparkled as he turned the tooth over in his hands.

"It... uhh..." Guzma scratched his scalped absently.  
"Kinda reminds me of you a little, too... I noticed you got them sharp fangs."

The boy's smile faded and he self consciously brought his hand up to his mouth.

Guzma set his hand on the boy's and lowered it.  
"You shouldn't be ashamed of somethin' you was born with. Besides... your fangs?" He looked off to the side and blushed slightly.  
"I think they're really cute..."

"R-really?" 

He nodded.

Kalani took a moment to think and then grinned wide with his bright white teeth, pointed canines on full display as his blue eyes became misty like the island meadows at dawn. 

Guzma opened his arms and the boy gladly let him embrace him in a strong, all encompassing hug.

"Mahalo, Guzma," he murmured into the other's chest.

They got to their feet and Guzma returned his pokémon, save for Wimpod who wanted to ride in his hood, and made for the meadow's entrance.  
Kalani decided to accompany him back to port again. Guzma noticed he wasn't as talkative as he was last time.

"You doin' alright 'Lani? Ya awful quiet today."

"Yeah I just..."  
He messed with his curls nervously as he searched his brain for coherent sentences.  
"I'm real proud of ya for makin' it through m'trial, honest. I guess I'm just a little bummed that I won't get t'see ya much no more..."

Guzma slung his arm around the smaller boy's shoulders.  
"I feel you, brother. But outta the islands, I think I hang 'round Akala the most. I'll swing by every now and again and we can hang. How's that sound?"

"Th-that sounds nice... umm..." 

Guzma raised his brow; 'Lani looked like he wanted to say something.

"I-I was wondering though... m-maybe we could go out together sometime... ya know... like..." 

Neither noticed, but Wimpod peeked out of Guzma's hood and narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Kalani. 

"...like on a date?" he finally managed, inadvertantly curving his tone up into a question.

Guzma took his arm off him and stepped away in surprise.

_I freakin' hate it when Kukui's right..._

"I-I-I," Guzma stammered unhelpfully.

"S-sorry! I shouldn't have assumed that you're-! Oh shit oh fuck oh shit..."  
He turned away in mordification with his hands pressed to his temples.

The white haired boy internally slapped himself to regain his composure. Without really thinking, he moved and grabbed both Kalani's hands. He leaned down and looked into his eyes.

"You were right! I _do_ like guys, so don't beat yaself up over that, ok?"

Kalani's eyes dropped to his feet and he muttered, "But you still don't like me..."

"Now you're wrong"-he tilted the boy's chin up to force him to look up at him- "I _do_ like you. You're clever and charming and really rather handsome... Not to mention you're a damn good friend even though we ain't known each other long." His expression softened and he continued more gently, "But I can't date you."

"Is... is there a reason? S-something I said?"

Guzma shook his head adamantly.  
"No 'Lani, nothin' like that! I can't date you because I have a-"

Something clicked in Guzma's brain.

"I have a..."

Gears turned and circuits sparked.  
His eyes grew wide.

"I have a boyfriend?" Guzma said ambiguously.

"Are you... asking me or telling me?" Kalani questioned with a raised brow and a perplexed look on his face.

Everything fell into place and Guzma beamed down at him.

"I have a boyfriend!!!" he repeated much more definitively.

He grabbed the boys face and planted a giant, sloppy kiss to his cheek.

"You're the best 'Lani!" 

Kalani had a strange moment of deja vu as he watched Guzma take off down the route and call over his shoulder.  
He was saying something about seeing him around and thanks for everything.

But the boy wasn't really listening.

He was far too busy internally gushing about how he just got a kiss from the most amazing person (and by far cutest boy) he's ever met.

"See ya 'round G-Money..." he murmured dreamily, flashing his canines in an equally dreamy smirk.

~~~

Back on Melemele, Guzma hammered his fist persistently on Kukui's door.

The door finally opened and Kukui said, eyes wide with worry, "Whoa G! What's gotten into y- _Oof!_ "

Guzma tackled him into a beartic hug, nearly knocking the wind out of his poor little lungs.

"What's this about!?" the boy laughed as he let the other swing him around.

"Guess what! Guess what!" 

"Did you pass the trial!" Kukui asked enthusiastically.

Guzma loosened his grip and said, "Well... yeah... But that's not what I'm excited about!"

"Then what is it?" 

The white haired boy lifted the other up high and smiled proudly up at him.

"YOU'RE MY BOYFRIEND!"

"Oh for the love of..." Kukui muttered, slapping a hand to his face, "Of course I'm your-"

Guzma didn't let him finish, catching his lips with his own. 

He loves this feeling.  
Like a fire in his chest!  
But... not a wildfire, no.  
It's neither out of control nor too hot to touch. 

It's just there.

Familiar...

Comforting...

 _ **Warm**_.

"I love you so much," Guzma whispered, tears welling up in his eyes, "Always have..."  
He pressed his forehead to his boyfriend's as the dams gave way.  
"...always will."

Kukui took his boyfriend's face gently in his hands and brushed Guzma's tears away with his thumbs.  
"I love you too, maka 'eleu."

**Author's Note:**

>  **Footnotes:**  
>  **1.** This is Wimpod's version of [the ASL sign for "friend"](https://youtu.be/6RRmIyhkMx0)  
>  **2.** Malie: (Hawaiian) So, this word means something like quiet, tranquil, calm, that sort of stuff.  
>  **3.** "Ya gotta try this!"
> 
>  **Other Notes:**  
>  "Kukui! I'm respecting your privacy by knocking but asserting my authority as your father by coming in anyway!" -Kukui's dad at some point probably. ~~Fuck Butch Hartman btw~~
> 
> Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Hi guys!🤙
> 
> So, a few things about this section.  
> I tried my best to express what it's like to be at that awkward age where you say stuff but don't fully know or grasp what it means and you know about stuff but don't quite _know_ about stuff. It's probably different nowadays, but _*old man voice*_ back in my day, we couldn't just google questions and things we hear so everything was word of mouth. And there was always that one kid who's parents work all the time so they can actually access their home computer and they tell you about stuff but ya don't really know whether to believe them or not. And then there's the other kid that knows a little too much about certain stuff because they watch too much Law & Order SVU...
> 
> Also, I tried to express (as someone who fell in love with their best friend) this idea that you can love someone for a long time and, just because it's not romantic, doesn't make it any less powerful or passionate. Hence, it's easy to not even realize you've crossed over that line. So that feeling of love, in my opinion, is universal for all the people you care about and that a romantic love may feel a little different, but it's neither better or worse nor stronger or weaker.  
> So yeah... that probably tells ya a lot about me as a person... this is just how I've always felt but everyone feels differently and remember that you are all valid!
> 
> Anywho... hope you enjoyed!  
> Next time we's gon' make like a delorean and go back to the future! We'll see if the boss man has had any revelations or if he's gonna be as stubborn as ever ;)
> 
> Send kudos and comments to help heal my wrist (I'm a scientist, trust me! ~~*Plankton voice* I WENT TO COLLEGE!~~ )
> 
> Love you all 🤟
> 
> **Links:**  
> [Tumblr page for art & updates ](http://zz-chikorita.tumblr.com)  
> [Master list of terminology](https://zz-chikorita.tumblr.com/post/615394532986650624/master-list-of-terminology-jolly-rogers)  
> [HCs and Background Info](https://zz-chikorita.tumblr.com/post/615439164403597312/hcs-and-background-info-jolly-rogers)  
> [References and Resources](https://zz-chikorita.tumblr.com/post/615802247274708992/note-so-i-originally-made-this-post-just-to)


End file.
